Major demonstrations in Russia

Russians come out in force to protest against alleged electoral fraud

Tens of thousands defy bitter cold and fear of crackdown in challenge to victorious party of Vladimir Putin

Euro News

the Guardian,

10 December, 2011

Up to 50,000 people braved the cold and snow on Saturday to turn out for the largest ever protest against the rule of prime minister Vladimir Putin.

Bolotnaya Square, across the river from the Kremlin in central Moscow, was filled to overflowing with thousands standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the bridges and along the riverfront leading to the site. Tens of thousands of police and interior troops were deployed around the area, but protesters had been allowed by officials to gather in an unprecedented show of discontent.

Shouts of "Russia without Putin!" and "Freedom!" were mixed with demands that the Kremlin annul a disputed parliamentary election that saw Putin's United Russia party gain nearly 50% of the vote despite widespread accusations of fraud.

"I demand new elections," said Maxim, 26, an economist. "If they don't agree, we will continue to come out. The people have woken up – they see there's a point to going out into the streets and expressing what they don't agree with."

Opposition leader Vladimir Ryzhkov said a further protest would be held on Christmas eve if the Kremlin refused to cancel the election results. The overwhelmingly young crowd organised via social networking sites and exceeded early estimates of 30,000.

"I came here so our country doesn't turn into Belarus, so we don't get totalitarianism like there is there," said Marina, 25, a public relations officer. It was, as for many in the crowd, her first protest. "I was never interested in politics until I saw how they violate our human rights – the politicians work in their own interest, not for the people."

Protests took place in more than 50 cities, with a reported 7,000 people gathering in St Petersburg and up to 4,000 in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, despite the temperature of -20C.

"They have to hear us," said Artyom Loskutov, an artist from Novosibirsk who attended the Moscow protest. "The police simply don't understand [that people are coming out on their own] – they ask, who are the organisers? They think it has to be the west, it has to be [US Senator John] McCain."

Putin has accused the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton of prompting the unrest and has cracked down on Russian NGOs that work with foreign funding. He made no comment on Saturday, but the country's leadership has called the disputed vote a success and given no indication they plan to re-examine its results.

The results of the election, which saw United Russia win a 49.32% share of the vote, were confirmed by the election commission. The Communists, Just Russia and far-right LDPR entered the Duma, the lower house, while the liberal Yabloko party failed to pass the threshold – something that particularly stung the protesters.

United Russia deputy Andrei Isayev tried to calm the situation: "Without a doubt, people have the right to protest against election results or the way elections were held." But he added, repeating Putin's line, that people "should not turn into 'pawns' in the hands of those who want to destroy our country".

The protesters largely represented Russia's growing middle class – urban, educated professionals dismayed with Putin's soft authoritarianism, something that became an open subject of discussion after he announced in September he would run in the presidential vote on 4 March following four years as prime minister. Putin has already served two terms as president, stepping down in favour of his protégé Dmitry Medvedev because of a constitutional ban on serving more than two consecutive terms.

"My patience has spilled over," said David, 24. "They have to listen to us: the leadership takes however much room for manoeuvre we give them and now they have less."

Anarchists, marching under red and black flags, and far-right nationalists, marching with yellow, black and white ones, also turned out for the rally, though in smaller numbers.

Speakers, including former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, environmental activist Yevgenia Chirikova, writer Boris Akunin and rapper Noize MC, addressed the crowds.

Thousands listened, but tens of thousands more chose instead to talk among themselves – a show of public discourse unseen since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Politics in Russia has become so mistrusted that it will be hard to coalesce around a concrete opposition, many protesters argued. Anti-corruption activist and blogger Alexey Navalny – popular among many internet-savvy youth but mistrusted by some for his nationalist views, remained in jail after being arrested at a rally that sparked Russia's wave of protests.

"I demand the release of political prisoners and new elections," said Svetlana, 40, a small business owner. It was also her first protest: "I was just shocked at the election results. I don't know a single person who voted for United Russia."

Many protesters wore white ribbons and carried white flowers, symbols adopted to express their displeasure with the vote. Many more waved handcrafted signs. One held a sign featuring a photograph of Putin and Medvedev with the words: "Dudes, it's time to move over." Another read: "Let our freedom not only be on Facebook."

"The middle class, the youth, are just waking up now – it's become fashionable," said Alexander, a 28-year-old designer, who doesn't fear a potential crackdown from authorities.

"We're young: we're probably not that scared."


RT coverage emphasizes the non-violent nature of the demonstrations

Showcase protest: Smoking WC ‘worst thing’ at Moscow rally

RT

11 December, 2011

Tens of thousands have attended a demonstration in Moscow to protest at the conduct of last weekend’s elections. Despite the logistical and security challenges, the event passed off remarkably peacefully and with no confrontations with police.

The rally was initially scheduled to be held at Revolution Square, but when it became apparent that large numbers would be involved, the Moscow authorities suggested moving the event to Bolotnaya Square, which is situated on a large island in the Moscow River.

However, many still turned up at the original gathering point, some because they weren’t aware of the relocation, others because they wanted to see what was going on in both places. Police and rally organizers managed the transfer of thousands of people from one square to the other circumventing the Kremlin, which had been cordoned off, without disrupting the flow of traffic in central Moscow.

Officers of the law also showed a high degree of resolve, ignoring insults hurled by several of the more militant-minded protesters, even though, technically, they had the right to detain the hot-heads.

At one point police warned the crowds against using the Luzhkov Bridge, one of several adjacent to Bolotnaya Square. The pedestrian walkway being quite old, the authorities police feared it might not withstand the weight of the crowds walking over it in tight rows. Police restricted access to the bridge, while two rescue boats were put on alert nearby.

Photo Estimates of the number of people at the protest vary, with the police putting the figure at more than 20,000, while journalists and organizers said there were more than 40,000. However, the largest protest in Moscow since 1993 went remarkably peacefully.

One of the few incidents was blamed on a group of nationalist activists who lit several flares in the crowd. Other protesters were quick to call the police and hand over the provocateurs. Two people were reportedly ejected from the square in the wake of the potentially dangerous pyrotechnic show.

In a separate incident, heavy smoke covered a small area on the square with initial reports saying a smoke bomb had been let off.  It turned out to be another flare which had been lit and then dropped inside a mobile toilet. The fire was quickly extinguished and no-one was hurt.

Finally, some reports said an attempt had been made to use a signal flare gun to shoot down a drone helicopter which was circling over the rally. The culprit may have thought the drone was being used for surveillance.  In actual fact, it belonged to a news website which was streaming pictures and video of Bolotnaya Square.

Saturday’s rally was in sharp contrast to some other opposition gatherings in Russia. Often unauthorized, they were marred by provocations and subsequent crackdowns by riot police. This time, despite a high-profile police presence, not a single instance of confrontation was reported.

One of the organizers even went so far as to thank the force for “acting like police in a democratic country should,” as the rally was wrapping up. Russian human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin also praised the work of the police.  

According to official reports, there were no arrests at the Moscow rally.